The Story of Rouen is Theodore Andrea Cook’s history of the great Norman city, tracing its fortunes from Roman and medieval times through its role in the duchy of Normandy, the trial of Joan of Arc, and the centuries that followed. Cook intertwines the city’s dramatic history with descriptions of its architecture, above all its magnificent Gothic cathedral and churches.
The book attends to the monuments that record Rouen’s past, the cathedral, the church of Saint-Maclou, the Palais de Justice, and the timbered houses of the old town. Cook writes as an enthusiastic historian and guide, bringing the medieval city vividly to life. It remains an engaging account for anyone interested in Norman history and the Gothic architecture of France.